Eric Biondo: Reviews

Mindiefied


So this column is a bit different to the usual nature of Mindiefied. Instead of giving you an insight into the London underground scene, I'll be letting you in on what I've witnessed thus far in the Big apple, otherwise known as New York city.


Initially I was under the impression after watching episode upon episode of Sex in the City (I am a girl it is allowed) that Manhattan was the place to reside when in New York, not only was I wrong, I was incredibly wrong, Loser. After mentioning too many mates of mine that I will be in New York for at least 3 weeks, I was informed that Brooklyn was the place to be. Williamsburg in particular, one might call it New York's answer to Shoredicth…


Bedford Avenue is a buzzing strip of bars, restaurants, shops live venues, swelled with many young music and art, loving hipsters who seem to never sleep and although Williamsburg feels familiar is a area that falls a little short of the eclectic mix of East London.


I decided to go on a mini tour down Bedford to see if I would discover anything worth mine or your while. On a sunny Saturday afternoon with a couple of new found mates, I came across an amazing ska sound. The brass trumpet in the distance, a fiddle and crazy vocals.


We followed the sound into the venue where we stumbled upon the band Beyondo. With an amazing front man, these guys brought to the stage a mixture of The Police, The Specials, Phill Collins, sprinkled with some James brown funk. The blend of violin, brass, a thumping funky base and awesome vocal harmonies made to sound even more freaky, by the violinist who sounded like his vocal chords had been injected with helium. It was so good that I parted with my dollars and bought a copy of the EP. When Mindie becomes a major event that literally takes over the world, they are to expect a private jet that will whisk them over to 93 Feet East so you can all have a listen.


As for New York come see come sa! London is better.


Check Beyondo out on myspace: http://www.myspace.com/beyondoband


That's all for now, greetings from New York!


Mindie


www.mindie.co.uk





London Kicks 2008

Beyondo (Tonight) Eric Biondo, best known in some circles as a trumpeter with the Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, has long been making oddly arresting music as a singer-songwriter. He indulges that interest best with colleagues like the violinist and vocalist Caleb Burhans and the bassist Rob Jost, two of the seven sidemen enlisted here. At 9 and 10, Tea Lounge 837 Union Street, between Sixth and Seventh Avenues, Park Slope, Brooklyn, (718) 789-2762, tealoungeny.com
Chinen - New York Times, August 3, 2007 (Aug 3, 2007)

CD Review:
Beyondo EMOTIONAL COMPASS (self-released)
by Naomi Beard
With rapier wit, stunning musicality and wacky stage antics, Eric Biondo a.k.a. Beyondo performs with music acts ranging from trancey-fusion jazz groups to Monkees reunions, and his association with Davy Jones goes so deep that people have been gossiping if Eric is actually Davy's "lost" son.
After laughing out loud at Beyondo's ultra-funny web site photo journal, I put his EMOTIONAL COMPASS CD into the machine, expecting something brainy and satirical like Frank Zappa. Instead, Beyondo revealed yet another side, and it's wonderful!


There's levity in Beyondo's material in a "space age bachelor pad" way, but Beyondo goes a step beyond. He composes sophisticated pop songs simpatico with Burt Bacharach, Steely Dan and Tears for Fears ("Heart of Gold"), with vocalese and lead instruments that twist and turn around enchanting melodic hooks.


Violin and trumpet are the main solo instruments, with Beyondo on trumpet, flugelhorn, keyboards, percussion and some rather organic and pleasant beat boxing. While the musicians obviously have chops, the emphasis is on the songcraft.


All of the songs have their own merits and peculiarities, and his lyrics lean towards the philosophical fallout of love lost and love found. With one foot in "trance," stand-out titles include "Show a Pretender" and "Jumping off the World."

Antibalas is one of the best vocalist free bands out there and Security is one of their chief gems. They do have some vocals but they are so sparse as to not reclassify the band... I think the art of non-vocal music has been dead in the industry for some time which is why it is so refreshing to see a band that is willing to tie themselves in with this approach.


Some critics have called this "Beatle-ized Elevator Music" but they are way off. This music is one of the best examples of the genre possible.


This band was originally a Fela tribute band and I think with this release they have finally stepped out of their shadow and some into their own. The group no longer mimics the 70s Afro-beat master but instead provide a new ricochet of cross horned riffs and Eric Biondo's master trumpet work.


What is most great about this album is the lack of polish coupled with the clean vocals that still emerge to dominate the proceedings. This is truly epic stuff and like riding in a vicious tide toward musical enlightenment.


I think this album is great and a true measuring stick for all future bands in the genre. This is what defines Antibalas and allows them to come into their own. Recommended.

A Harmless Addiction If Played Responsibly by Lisa Giglio


The first notes of the trumpet tap you on the shoulder, the rhythm starts your foot a tappin. Then something else sends a surge through your body...that lyrics, the story. Eric Biondo has that smooth, wet your appetite voice that makes you hungry for more. It's not just about a clever arrangement of words. It is an experience with funky beats. The Gambler is one of those songs that never leaves you satiated, you want more.


This song is the kind of music you listen to when you want to feel excitement, something more than the mundane routine we all seem to settle into. As the song progresses you suddenly feel hypnotized. How fast can I jump on that plane to Vegas or Atlantic City? You have this overwhelming confidence that by god, you can be a winner! With the song in you head like a lucky rabbit's foot, you through the dice. You are whisked away into this timeless world of good old fashioned/modern day lyrics and timeless music. You have never had such better odds. The Gambler is a song for all generations of life. While it becomes a staple in your ipod or MP3, mom will think she was playing it on her eight track back in the days, and grandma is sitting at the penny slots waiting for it to make it big.


So cash in those frequent flyer miles, download the Gambler by Beyondo, pack up granny and tell her to leave her medications at home because "second hand smoke is like vitamin C". Ignore the surgeon general, sometimes in life there's black and there's red. Everything is a gamble. Spin the wheel and roll the dice to quite possibly the most fascinating, addictive song; before they start banning music about gambling.


And the more people you share this with, the more it will grow. The Gambler has the potential to be your new addiction. So jump on the band wangon, what have you got to lose?

This guy is pretty crazy. Crazy and amazing. He programs the beats, plays the trumpet, writes unbelievable hooks and sings. I would have never thought to write about this track if I hadn’t run into Eric Biondo at a Halloween party/jam session in Brooklyn two weeks ago. Walking up to the space, I heard a trumpet playing an incredible hook over a slammin’ drum beat and remember how much I like this music.


He has a jazz pedigree, but like so many guys in his scene in NYC, and more specifically Park Slope, he is making music that is hard to categorize. It makes you want to sing along, bob your head and analyze the shit out of the production. Now check out Caleb Burhans. This guy can really do everything as well. He’s playing violin and singing a bit of backing vocals on this track. But he composes, plays guitar, has a great falsetto, improvises, etc. His solo is great. And listening to it over and over, you realize the tastiest thing about it is that the violin is doubled with voice too. Very subtle, very cool sound.


Listening to the track again. Everything is doubled and layered. The seemingly straightforward trumpet solo toward the beginning becomes less and less the more you listen. This track, like mostly everything I’ve heard of Beyondo, can be peeled away endlessly.


But his hooks make everything all right. And of all the super weird music I’ve played, a hook is a hook. “Friends are lovers, they just have a different name.” Cue casio synth sound and funky outro. The track never gets old. The weird-ass outro houses some of the best moments. I thought it was a synthed-out melodica for a second. Whatever the messed up, cheesy, Middle-Eastern-rip-off riff is makes it. Listen to it four it times in a row, like I am right now, and I guarantee you happiness. - JASON TREUTING
Nov 14

I never heard of music like Beyondo's before. Initially, I thought I had his music pegged for something too Avant-Garde, basically weird. But, as I listened I caught myself bobbing and getting into the groove. There is a lot to say about real artists. You can never really underestimate what they bring to the listening ear. If you take the time to hear out any real good artist you will find a special and unique appreciate for their music. For those who may be used to listening to R&B, Hip-Hop and so, you may want to get a taste of what Beyondo has to offer.

Funkey business
After escaping the corporate clutches of Nickelodeon, Joshua Sitron put together a band that’s more fun than a barrel of, well...you know.


By Evan Narcisse
Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: A guy in his twenties lands what he thinks is a dream job at a global juggernaut; eventually, he chafes under the corporate machinery and quits to travel, in hopes of salvaging his creativity and finding a higher purpose. What makes Joshua Sitron’s particular experience of job burnout unique is that he served as musical director at kid-entertainment powerhouse Nickelodeon in 1999, and his work included writing the theme song and much of the music for Dora the Explorer. Joking that there was too much swiping going on, he resigned, embarking on a vagabond lifestyle that included traveling to Israel, Egypt and Tibet and even learning kung fu.


Upon his return to New York City, Sitron founded the FunkeyMonkeys— a band that keeps him more artistically satisfied than (alas) composing for Dora and Boots ever did. The Long Island native describes the group’s vibe as “Mister Rogers meets John Lennon,” but its approach is more eclectic than that earnest description implies. Songs like the yoga-inspired “Breathe” aim to impart bite-size lessons about relaxing to youngsters, but the band also mixes in disco, show tunes and even comedy improv into its music and stage show.


Their Upright Citizens Brigade qualities are what most differentiate the Monkeys from their peers on the kid-band circuit. Although most members are traditional musicians (trumpeter Eric Biondo and saxman Stuart Bogie are from the Afrobeat band Antibalas; lead singer Carey White is a violinist who also teaches music at the Ramaz School; and percussionist Brian Carter gives private drum lessons), singer Mike Gold is also a dancer and balloon artist. An unpredictable comic energy permeates everything the Monkeys do, and gives them the courage to don everything from kids’ NASCAR racing jumpsuits to psychedelic ponchos in performances. “The guys are always working on ways to be more entertaining, even between songs,” says Biondo. A prime example is the “Giant Baby” stage skit. Here, Gold, dressed in a man-sized onesie, brings the show to a halt with manic dancing until the audience lulls him to sleep with a funky version of “Hush Little Baby.”

One Step Biondo


Eric Biondo graduated from Hutchinson Central Technical High School in 1995, and his jazz outfit Straight Forward, opened for Grover Washington Jr. a short time later. But like so many of our finest musicians, Biondo bailed for greener pastures promptly, studying music at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester and eventually landing in New York City, where he scored a gig playing trumpet with The Monkees, brought his horn to bear on the renowned Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra and played a major role in the Festival of New Trumpet Music, an event curated by trumpeters Dave Douglas, Jon Nelson and Roy Campbell.


Somewhere in the midst of all these gigs, Biondo also found time to lead Miles Davis Producer Teo Macero's Big Band. Not a bad resume to be boasting at a mere 27 years of age.


But it's with his avante-garde jazz/pop boy band Beyondo that Beyondo marks his Buffalo homecoming Wednesday in Nietzsche's, 248 Allen St. The daring, ambitous bill also features performances from the Genkin Philharmonic West and Thought, Beyondo will be digging in to tunes from the hilarious, irreverent and decidedly Zappa-esque "Invisible Love" disc. Expect it to be raucous, funny and bizarrely musical.

Excerpt from an article called "Guitar Dreams Never Die"





An hour into rehearsal, we were creating a horrific cacophony. Then in walked the Bad Boy Brass, also known as the horn section for The Monkees. The trio's diminutive trumpet player, Eric Biondo, heard our noise and shuddered. "You guys sound great," he said charitably. "But maybe if you turned down the volume, you'd sound even better." We turned down our amps. Then we turned them down again. And again. "Now, start listening to each other," he said. "That's what music is all about." We started listening -- and we began to sound better.